Reflecting optical unit



C. LE R. TRELEAVEN REFLECTING OPTI/CAL UNIT Filed Nov. 20, 1928 Nov. 12, 1929.

Nov. l2, 1929. c LE R. 1'RELEAvl-:N 1,735,815

REFLECTING OPTICAL UNIT Filed Nov. 20, 192B 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Pateifea Nav. 12, 1929 UNITED STATES CLIFFORD LE ROYTRCELEAVEN, F JACKSON HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO RAY- PATENT oFFlcE SIGNS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE REFLECTING OPTICALTTNIT Application led November 20, 1928. Serial No. 3203589.

My invention relates to signs of the light reflecting type and particularly to the construction of units which compose the characters of the signs. Such signs are used, for

example; as advertising signs or as road side that the light is returned upon its incident.

path but in a slightly-diverging or conical formso as to be visible at one 'side of the light source.

' The component parts of the unit as usually employed for commercial signs are a positive lens and a concave mirror. As ordinarily constructed, the surface of the mirror is spherical and is substantially at the focalpoint of the lens for axially incident light.

It is obviously desirable that the angle of aspect be as wide as possible, that is, that the unit shall function efficiently with light falling obliquely upon it at a considerable angle with the axis of the unit.

To obtain this desired angle of aspect it has been supposed to be necessary to use a so-calle'd solid lens, that is, asolid body Y of glass or equivalenttransparent material having its outer end convex to form the objective and extending to the mirror itself.

The rear end may be plano or it may be' convex, and 1t has been suggested to silver the rear convex end to constituteit the mirror.

- or at least minimize grinding operations.

There is, however, an element of difficulty in molding such a body of glass and have it retain the requisite forni for the optical properties.` 'Ihe solid body of glass Will upon cooling tend to form what are known as shrink spots. and these are most likely to develop as flattened portions of the convex lenticular or reflecting surfaces. An expensive grinding operation to correct the fault is then necessary.

I have found that` it is possible to employ a hollow body of glass or equivalent material, the outer end of which constitutesthe lens and which affords theadvantages in physical construction of the unit composed of a solid lens andrellector connected immediately thereto, and still get as wide an angle of aspect for the unit as it is possible to get with the solid glass type of unit. This obviates the irregularityin shrinking andconsequent'shrink spots, and enables the glass fpart of the unit to be formed wholly by molding.

The rear of the hollow glass body according to my invention is openeended, the hollow cylindrical collar extending rearwardly from the lens to the mirror serves as a shell to un'ite the mirror and lens and has the advanluminositv due to the transmission of rays which would otherwise be lost.

The mirror is'idisposed with its centrall radius coincident, with the axis of the lens and its apex is substantially at the focal point of a bundle,of lrays axially incident upon the lens. The reflecting surface is spherical and in order that th light may be returned on'its incident path and the unit have -a full effective aperture, that is, its entireJ end be luminous at any angle of 'incidence of light Within a wide angular range, I dis'- pose the center of curvature-ofthe` mirror for any given index of refraction of glass on the axis of the lens at of near the point where the axis is intersected, really or virtually, by that portion of the chief or central ray of an obliquely .incident bundle whichhas traversed the lens once and 'is incident t uponthe mirror. y In other words,v thecenter o 'curvature of the mirror is so located with respect to the lens that the'central ray of an incident bundle whether axial or oblique,

will strike the mirror along a radial ath or entering, the second time at a point relatively far from the reflector, the peripheral ortions of a simple, spherical reflecting sur ace will not contain thev foci of obliquely incident' light upon the llens but will be to the rear thereof, and this departure fl'omwthe focal points increases progressively from the center of the mirror'outwardly. The result 1s inefliciency and a relatively narrow range of aspect for the unit. e

To correct this and thereby increase the angle of aspect, I so shape the mirror according to one form of my invention as to cause all portions of it to contain substantially the focal points ofthe lens for light which 1s focused upon the particular portion of the surface. The path-of the foci as light sweeps' from one angular extreme to the otheracross the lens in any plane is not a true arc of a circle but departs substantially therefrom,

shortening its foci .1ength progressively as it increases its angular relatlon with-the axis of the lens. To compensate for -this I make the reflecting surface in a series. of stepped, concentric, spherical zones, each one from the center outward bein of shorter radius. This retains the spherica form which is necessary to get the normal incidence of the central ray, andat the same time gives the unit a much -wider angle of aspect since the more oblique rays are reflected in their entirety and returned on theirivn-path. In thisway I am` able to give to the unit an angle of aspect of as much a's 32 on either side'rof axial incidence.

The eiciency of the unit may according to my invention be increased by making the inner surface of the lens the formi of a series of stepped zones decreasing in thickness toward the center. This will cause the outer rays of an incident bundle to be brought more znearly to the same focus as the central rays,

and incidentallymakes a lighter and thinner lens. The eciency of the unit is substantially increased byY employing. both the stepped mirror and the stepped inner surface for the lens.

:The inner surface of the lens may be plano,

concave or convex, the len h of the unit being determined by thefoca len h of the lens. The optical relation of the re ecting surface to the lens must be maintained constant, and invention also contemplates various ways m ofy attaching the mirror and glass body to maintain this relationshi and compensate' for variations irl-length o the glass collar. Other details of my invention will appear from the following description. I-shall now convex lens with light rays represented in diagram;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified construction with a double convex lens.;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of tlie construction,

as modified, with a concave-convex lens.;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the unit shown in Fig. l with a protecting cap added thereto;

Fig. 5 is a similar View showing an alternative way of attaching the mirror' to the lens collar;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. luwith a modified form'of mirror;

Fig.` 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 with a modified form of lens to correct for spherical aberration Fig. 8 is a similar view of a concave-convex lens with the modified form of mirror n and a-protccting cap applied thereto;

Fig. 9 is a. view similar to Fig. 7 'with the addition of a protective cap and illustrating a modification of thelcns collar with respect to the formation of the mirror seat.

It will be understood that the drawings represent substantially the correct proportions of the parts, but that the sizes are optional. It will'be assumed that the lens material is glass having an index of refraction of substantially 1.52.

The lensA of Fig. 1 is plano-convex and of a thickness slightly greater than one-half of the radius of-cuivature of the front face; Rearwardly ofthe lens the body of glass 1s hollow, forming the annular collar or shell B. Bearing and in` some manner (not ind1- cated in this figure.) secured against the rear end of the collar B is aspherical reflector or mirror C. This mirror has its concave face toward the lens and is arranged with its vertex or apexat least substantially inthe focal point of the lensA for axially incident light, this location being determined by the limiting shoulder D' against which the mirror bears. In this construction the mirror has 4a'.

surrounding marginal 'fiange E which fits 4 the formation of shrink spots and enables the turned upon the same path.

glass partto be molded. The fact that the collar B is transparent and is integral with the lens provides a l'eady means for positioning the mirror with a minimum of oints and also gives a certain illumination to the collar which is not possible with an opaque construction.

The determination of the radius of curvature of the mirror and the location of its center, is a particular problem. In order to af ford the widest possible aperture to the lens, i. e., the maximum area of illumination of the lenticular end within a wide angular range of aspect, it is necessary that the central axial 'ray of the incident bundle of rays be returned as the central ray of the reflected beam, in which eventv the surrounding rays will be reflected on respebtively opposite sides of the central ray butin substantially vsym-y metrical relation thereto. For this'" result I locate the center of curvature of the mirror on the axis of the lens and at or near the point where the axis isl intersected (really or virtually) by the chief or central ray of every bundle of incident light, whether axial or oblique, after it has traversed the lens once and before it has been reflected by the mirror. In this event the central ray will strike the mirror along a radial path and due to its normal incidence will be reflected back on its entering path. The surrounding rays will be reversed in position but will be reflected substantially symmetrically about the central ray.

For example, in the unit shown in Fig. 1, the center O of the reflecting surface of the mirror is substantially at the axial point of the rear face of the lens, and the index of refraction of the glass is such' that the central ray 1 of the incident light is refracted so as to cross the axis substantially at the point O. Upon emerging, therefore, it is refracted along a radial line of the mirror. Asindicated by the arrows, it is consequentlyv re- The entering ray 2will be' substantially reversed inlposition with respect to the ray 1 and will be reflected as the ray 2. The outside ray 4 will be returned on the path of the ray 4', while the' ray 3 will be' lost in that it will not be returned through the lens. It will, however, pass through the transparent collar B and will serve somewhat to illuminate the collar. The spherical aberration of the lens, which is exemplifiedby thedisposition of the focus of the rays 3 and 4 ahead of that-of the 'more central rays, serves to give` to the reflected f' rays the desired spread or conical form so as to render the unit visible at a ointmore or less to one side of the source of ight; for example', ,so as to render it visible to thev occu- .pantsof an automobile the head lights of which illuminate the sign. l

4In Fig. 2 the lens is shown as a double con- Vex lens. length and therefore shortens theunit. In

This, off' course, shortens the focall this case the center of curvature of the mirror is at the point O, somewhat within thebody of thelens. Assuming the, ra 1 to be the central ray of an incident bund e, it will upon its second refraction assume the radial path as indicated, so'that the intersection of the axis by that portion of the ray which has Atraversed the lens and is incident upon the dent bundle in this case crosses the axis of the A lens at the point O after its second refrac.

tion, that is, its intersectionwith the axis is real. In other words, the intersection with the axis at the center of the reflecting surfaceSis virtual when the center is forward of the lrear face of the lens, as in- Fig. 2, and lis real when it is back of the rear face of the lens, as inFig. 3. In either case the required position of the mirror determines the length of the collar B, although it will be understood that my invention is not of necessity limited to the collar B extending to the mirror C.`

In Fig.`4 there is shown one way within the purview of my invention for securing the mirror C against the shoulder D of the collar B of the lens A. In this case I employ a capr for the purpose which encloses vthe rear end of the unit including the mirror C and is secured thereto by cement F. In this way, the mirror is protected and the joint between the mirror and the collar is covered and rendered impervious.

In Fig. 5, another way is shown for secur ing the mirror in place against the rear end of the collar of the lens. In this case, an external circumferential shoulder G is formed on'the rear end of the collar and the flange of the mirror' has its top edge spun -overthe shoulder. If it is found necessary, a gasket A.

of suitable material may be interposed between thevlange of the mirror and the shoulder G.

In Fig. 6, there is shown a modified construction which gives to the unit a somewhat ,wider an le of aspect than-does the simple mirror o the previous figures. .This construction contemplatesmaking the reflector in two or .more zone seach zone being a portion of a sphere and all having a common `center O. Although the reflector is shown as divided into but two zones in this figure, it-

dent light. In this way the contralor chiefray is always permitted to strike the reflector.

iao

at normal incidence since all portions of the v reflecting surface are spherical and the unit is caused to have a wider aperture with the more obliquely incident light.

The unit shown in Fig 7 is further modified to reduce the spherical aberration of the lens and thereby increase its eiciency. In this it will be understood that this number may be varied and will depend somewhat upon the size of the lens. This construction results in relatively moving forward the focal points of the inner zones and thus bringing the foci of all of the zones more nearlyto a common point. The stepped lens is shown in conjunction with the stepped reflector, the reiecting surface ofwhich approximately contains the foci of the lens for incident light in all directions within the range of aspect of the unit. The provision of a sharper focus which thislens affords together with the ap proximate disposition of the-reflecting sur- .face so as to contain every fociV of the lens within the range of aspect makes for materially improved eiiciency for the unit.

The unit shown in Fig. 8 differs from that shown in Fig. 7 in that the lens is double convex and the unit is therefore substantially shorter. As in the other cases, the center O for all of the zones of the reflector is so located on the axis of the lens as to coincide with the point at which the central ray of an f incident bundle of rays crosses the axis. l This location, of course, varies with the index of refractionof the glass and if, as shown iii Figs. 7 and 8, it is behind the rear surface of the lens, then this center is at the point where the central incoming ray actually crosses the axis of the lens.

The importance of maintaining the correctoptical relation between the reflecting surface of the mirror and the lens will be readily appreciated. In Fig. 9 there is shown one yexpedient by which this relation may be accurately .obtained in a molded lens and also a way be provided'to take care of variations in thequantity of glass whichmay be placed l in the mold. In this construction the limitmove any of the end of the collar, while in such constructions as is shown in 4the preceding figures in which the limiting shoulder D is formed on the outer portion of the end face of the collarit may sometimes happen that y the quantity of glass in the mold will be so 4comprising a spherical collecting lens having an integral collar extending axially from the rear face thereof, and a spherical concave reflecting mirror bearing against said collar and spaced thereby from the rear face' .of the lens with its vvertex substantially in the focal point of the lens for axially incident light and with its center of vcurvature substantially at the point where the axis of the lens is intersected, really-or virtually, by the chief or central ray of anobliquely incident bundle after it has traversed the lens once and is incident upon the reflector.

2. An optical unit of the reflecting type comprising a spherical collecting lens, and a spherical concave reflecting mirror back of the lens and spaced therefrom with its vertex f substantially in the focal point of the lens for axially incident vlight and with its center of be disposedl against the curvature substantially at the point where the axis of the lens is intersected, really or virtually, by the chief or central ray of an obliquely incident bundle after it has traversed the lens once and is incident upon the reflector.

3. An optical unit of the reflecting type comprising a collecting lensand a concave mirror back of the lens and spaced therefrom with its vertex substantially in the focus of the lens for axially incident light, said mirror being stepped to provide a peripheral portion of shorter radius than the centralportion and disposed substantially'in the focus of the lens for obliquely incident light 'which is collected upon it. p

4. An optical unit of the reflecting type comprising a collecting lens and a spherical concave mirror/back of the lens and s aced therefrom with its vertex substantially 1n the focus of the lens for axially incident light,

said mirror being stepped to provide a plurality of concentric spherical z ones of successively shorter radius from the`central to the outer zone, whereby each zone is disposed sub,- stantially in the focus of the lens for light which is collected upon it.

5. An optical unit of the: reflecting type comprising a. spherical collecting lens the rear face of which is zonedjso as to provide a pluralityvof concentric lenticular zones all4 having substantially the saine focus and thereby minimize spherical aberration, and a spherical concave reflecting in irror back of the lens and s "aced therefrom with its vertex substantially'in the focal of the lens for axially incident light and with its center of curvature substantially at the point Where the axis of the lens is intersected, really or virtually, by the chief or central ray of an ob 5 liquely incident bundle after it has traversed the lens once and is incident upon the reflector. 6. An optical vunit of the reflecting type comprising a spherical Vcollecting lens the rear face of which is zoned so as to provide a vim plurality of concentric lenticular zones all having substantially the same focus and therebyminiinize spherical aberration,and a spherical concave reflecting mirror back of the lens and spaced therefrom with its vertex substantially in the focal point of the lens for axially incident light and with its center of curvature substantially at the point Where the axis of the lens is intersected, really or virtually, by the chief or central ray of an obliquely incident bundle after it has traversed the lens once and is incident upon the reflector, said mirror having the peripheral portion of its reliecting surface of shorter radius than its central portion and disposed substantially in the focus of the lens for obliquely incident light which is collected uponrit.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature. p

CLIFFORD LE ROY TRELEAVEN. 3o 

